Defense Ministry Says Explosion Near Sensitive Military Site Was Industrial Gas Tank – Iranian Media

A gas storage tank near an Iranian military base exploded on June 26, causing a bright orange flash in the sky over Tehran, according to Iranian media quoting a Defense Ministry spokesman.

The explosion occurred in the “public area” of the Parchin military zone, Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Davoud Abdi told state TV.

The sensitive military site is where Western security services believe Tehran carried out tests relevant to nuclear bomb detonations more than a decade ago, a charge Iran has denied.

Abdi said the explosion resulted in a fire that was brought under control and there were no casualties. He did not give any information about the cause of the blast.

“Our colleagues are present on the ground and investigating the incident carefully,” Abdi said, according to The New York Times.

The explosion caused a bright and large flash of light, the Fars news agency reported, citing images shared widely on social media. Videos and pictures showed an explosion with a bright orange glow followed by a large plume of smoke.

“In the videos sent by (our) readers, this light is seen for a few seconds,” Fars reported.

Fars later quoted the Defense Ministry as saying it was “an industrial gas tank explosion” near a facility belonging to the ministry.

It cited an informed source, who said the site of the incident was not related to the military.

Iran has refused to grant access to inspectors from the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) to visit Parchin on grounds that as a military base it was off limits.

Based on AFP, Reuters, The New York Times, and Fars